ISIS
(EYE-siss)
Goddess
of magic, motherhood and fertility in ancient Egypt
Common
clues: Egyptian goddess; Wife of Osiris; Mother of Horus; Horned
goddess; Cow-headed goddess; Goddess of fertility; Nile deity
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
5 times a year
Frequency
in English language:
26861 / 86800
Video:
Bob
Dylan - Isis
Isis
(Greek version; Egyptian is Aset)
is the goddess of magic, motherhood and fertility in ancient
Egypt. She is a life-death-rebirth deity, as well as one of the
Ennead. Later, she acquired the goddess Sopdet. She was a close
companion of Arensnuphis.
To
the ancient Egyptians, the constellation corresponding roughly to
modern Virgo represented Isis. Her star Spica was sometimes
called "Lute Bearer" and associated with wheat or
grain.
Originally,
she was a goddess of royalty (her hieroglyph includes the word
for "throne"). Later, during the period of Greek
dominance, she was the patron goddess of sailors.
Isis
was the daughter of Nuit, goddess of the sky, and Seb, god of
earth. She married Ausare (Osiris), her brother and the father of
her son Hor (Horus). Osiris was murdered by Seth but she
reassembled his body (leading to her association with the
underworld and the funerary cult), impregnated herself with his
body and gave birth to Horus in Khemnis, a swamp. In addition to
Horus, Isis was the mother of Min (alternatively, they were
lovers).
Isis,
along with her sister Nephthys, can be seen on the sides of
coffins in human form, their wings outstreched protecting the
dead. The sisters also had magical powers; Isis in particular
tricked Amun into telling her his secret name, so her magic
powers were supreme. Isis helped her husband, killed by Seth, to
come back to life and rule in the land of the dead.
Isis
is often symbolised by a cow, or a cow's head or horns
(illustrating a connection with Hathor). In art, she was depicted
with her son, Horus, with a crown and a vulture, and sometimes as
a kite flying above Osiris's body. Alternatively, Isis was
identified as the scorpion goddess Serq or Selk.
The
cult of Isis rose to prominence in the Hellenistic world
beginning in the last centuries BC, until it was eventually
banned by the Christians in the 6th century. Despite the Isis
mystery cult's growing popularity, there is evidence to suggest
that the Isis mysteries were not altogether welcomed by the
ruling classes in Rome. Her rites were considered by the princeps
Augustus to be "pornographic" and capable of destroying
the Roman moral fibre.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Isis".
ISIS
(262)
34 Tu- >1 01 Egyptian goddess
23
We- >1 03 Wife of Osiris
21
Mo+ >1 04 Egyptian fertility goddess
19
Tu- >1 09 Egyptian goddess of fertility
18
We- >1 00 Mother of Horus
15
>1 05 Sister of Osiris
13
Th >1 08 Horned goddess
10
Tu+ >1 02 Cow-horned goddess
7
>1 03 Fertility goddess
6
Mo+ >1 07 Egyptian deity AMON PTAH
6
Th- >1 03 Goddess with cow's horns
4
We+ >1 98 Cow-headed goddess
4
We- LAT 05 Osiris' beloved
3
We- >1 99 Goddess of fertility
3
We- >1 08 Osiris' wife
3
Th- LAT 01 Osiris's beloved
3
Th- >1 03 Sister of Nephthys
2
Th Rea 08 "It depends on what the definition of ___"
2
We CSy 05 Cow-headed Egyptian goddess
2
Th- >1 07 Daughter of Nut
2
>1 95 Egyptian mother goddess
2
Th Rea 97 Goddess in Tut's time
2
Th >1 03 Her symbol was a cow
2
We CSy 07 Horned Egyptian goddess
2
Th Rea 04 Nile goddess
|